INNUNOCYTOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE CONSTITUENT CELLS OF THE SECONDARY NODULES IN HUMAN TONSILS

Abstract
The rate of presence of surface immunoglobulins (sIg) and incidence of the surface receptors (SRBC[sheep red blood cells]-receptor, Fc-receptor and C3 [complement component 3] receptor) were examined on the constituent cells of secondary nodules enucleated from human tonsils and floated in suspension. As most of the rosette-forming cells for SRBC-receptor were judged to belong to small round cells, the germinal center was considered to be a non-T[thymus-derived]-cell region. Coronal B[bone marrow-derived]lymphocytes and small germinal center cells were fairly matured B cells because both bore sIg (100%), Fc receptor (25%) and C3 receptor (90-80%), while the former cells were thought to be more matured on the basis of their possession of surface .delta.-chain. As the large germinal center cells bore sIg (50%) and carried Fc receptor (25%) and C3 receptor (50%), they seemed to be the major immature cells among cell constituents of the secondary nodules. The majority of the large germinal center cells was apparently able to differentiate into coronal B lymphocytes, probably memory cells, and a minor population of them differentiating into c[cytoplasmic]Ig-containing cells.